Capped corner and metal top anchorage for furniture



Qcf- 6, 1953 LE ROY w. PAsEwALK ETAL 2,654,649

CAPPED CORNER AND METAL TOP ANCHORAGE FOR FURNITURE Filed June 2, 1949 Patented Oct. 6, 1953 CAPPED CORNER AND METAL 'roP ANCHORAGE Fon FURNITURE LeRoy W. towoc, niture Company, tion of Wisconsin Wis., assignors to Invincible Manitowoc, Wis., a corpora- Pasewalk and John F. Reimer, Mani- Metal Fur- Application June 2, 1949, Seral'No. 96,712 y Claims.

This invention relates to a capped corner and metal top anchorage for furniture.

The invention has particular application to metal tops for desks, tables, stands and the like4 which are provided with decorative cover plies of linoleum or other sheet material. The invention has for its object the provision of a novel and improved means for fastening the facing material at the corners of a metal top which has rounded edges and upright depending wall portions over which marginal flaps of the facing ply extend.

It is a further object of the invention to provide novel and improved means for anchoring such a top to the furniture with which it is used.

The present application is a companion to an application executed by Karl E. Castle on June 2, 1949, Serial No. 96,685, now Patent No. 2,544,733, and entitled Furniture With a Covered Metal Top.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view in perspective showing in relatively separated positions certain of the component parts of a vfurniture top construction embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail view showing the assembled furniture top in transverse section.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail View showing in perspective portions of a covered metal top and, in separated position, a corner cover cap for application thereto.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail View in plan of the corner portion of a piece of furniture equipped with a top embodying the present invention, portions of the corner cap being broken away.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail View taken in section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail view in perspective showing on an enlarged scale the top clamping arrangement illustrated in Fig. 2.

While the invention is shown exempliiied in a metal desk construction, it will be` understood that it is suitable for other furniture, and even for non-metallic furniture if desired. The desk generically designated by reference character 5 may be of any suitable metallic or wooden structure. Securely xed thereto, as by means of the bolts 6, is a rim 'I of angular form in cross section, the rim having a horizontal inwardly directed ange at 8 and a continuous upstanding flange at 9.

The metal top I9 has a substantially at top surface bounded by marginal cylindrically curved portions at I I which merge with vertical wall portions I 2 at the sides and ends of the top. The

lower margins of such wall portions are flanged inwardly at I3 (Figs. 2 and 3).

The top I0 is covered with a surfacing ply I5 which conventionally is made of linoleum or the like, although any other non-metallic sheet material such as plastic or leather or fabric may be used. The surfacing ply I5 is desirably cemented as usual to the top I0, to cover the upper surface of the top, the cylindrically rounded margins I I and at least portions of the sides I 2.

As best shown in Fig. 3, the corners of the top are notched at 4 and the entire corner of the surfacing ply I5 is cut away at |50, thereby forming lateral aps |5| and |52 which extend downwardly over the side wall portions I2 of the top, in spaced relation to the corner notch 4.

To cover the margins of the surfacing ply I5 where these are exposed at |59, the cover caps I5 are used, these being generally spherical segments having curved upper margins |5| tted to the surfacing ply I5 and an inwardly turned flange |52 at its lower margin which is substantially horizontal and at a level to seat on the bead of the molding hereinafter to be described. The corner cover cap I6 is anchored by a single bolt |53 centrally welded thereto and passing through the corner slot 4 of the top to the interior thereof. Within the top, the nut |54 holds the washer |55 to the portions of the top adjacent the corner slot 4, as best shown in Fig. 5.

To assure the anchorage, as well as the protection of the downwardly flanged edges I1 of the surfacing ply I5, binding clips are employed to anchor a binding strip which is decorative as well as protective. 'The binding strip I8 extends continuously about the top, being endless as applied. Its over-all dimensions are such that it fits snugly within the upstanding iiange 9 of the rim l. At I 9, it is outwardly flanged to form a shoulder which rests on the top margin of the flange 9 of the rim. Thence the binding strip is reversely curved at 20 to provide a bead, the inner margin 2| of which rests against the surfacing ply as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 4.

F'Lxed interiorly to the binding strip, as by the spot welds at 22, is the angular clip 23, the horizontal leg portion 24 of which is of just suflicient length to underlie the ange I3 of the top I0. The upturned finger 25 at the inner end of the clip is engaged by the inner margin of ange I3.

In consequence of this arrangement, the binding strip may be applied to the covered top as shown in Fig. 4 in advance of the assembly of the top to the rim 'I of the furniture. When the assembly vof top and binding strip is inserted into the flange S of the rim, it will flt snugly therein, as shown in Fig. 2.

It will be observed in Fig. 2 that the horizontal leg 2i. of the binding clip 23 does not fully seat against the flange S of the rim l when the shoulder i9 of the binding strip engages the upper margin of the flange 9 of the rim 1. The inwardly directed ange I3 carried by the side and end walls of the top is thus left without any direct support and its inherent resilience is used for anchorage purposes.

To this end the horizontal flange 8 of rim 'I is provided at intervals with mounting plates 21 which are connected thereto by any desired means such as the spot welding shown in Fig. 4. These plates 2'! are desirably embossed upwardly at 28 to provide bearings, as well as clearance for the heads of the rivets 29 used to fulcrum the respective clamps 30.

While, in a broad sense, a variety of clamping means may be used to anchor the top and the binding strip to the flanged piece of furniture to be equipped therewith, the particular clamps shown at 3Q and hereinafter described in detail are an important feature of the present invention. These clamps desirably have embossed bearing portions 3l complementary to the ernbossed bearing portions 28 of the plates upon which they are mounted. Each clamp pivots on its rivet 29 subject to manipulation by means of a handle at 32. The ends of each of the clamping members 3B are provided with upwardly turned camming wings 33 which, in the position of the clamps shown in Fig. 1, are out of Contact with the top iianges I3 but, on rotation of the respective clamps to the position shown in Fig. 6, ride on to the flanges I3 toV exert downward clamping pressure on such anges and thereby ecurely anchor the top to the rim and to the furniture carrying such rim. In the case of a desk, the clamps are readily accessible through the drawer openings and they are provided at intervals around the entire inner perimeter of the rim, as clearly shown in Fig. l.

The arrangement disclosed is such as to provide an exceptionally rigid connection of the top to the piece of furniture while, at the same time, making the replacement of the top surfacing ply i extremely easy. It is onlyrnecessary to turn all of the clamps to the center position in which they are illustrated in Fig. 1 to completely release the top, which may thereupon be lifted not only from the rim but from the binding strip, its surfacing ply being thereby completely exposed for repair or replacement when the nuts 16d are unscrewed to release th-e corner cover caps I6.

Yet, when the top is anchored by the several clamps as herein disclosed, the clamps not only hold the top to the desk but, by reason of the fact that the top flanges I3 are supported on the inwardly projecting arms 2s of the intervening clips 23, the binding strip is also anchored and released by the same manipulation of the clamps S. The binding strip, in turn, has its margin 2l drawn snugly against the cover ply I5 so that regardless of what may happen in the course of years, to the adhesive originally used in the application of the cover ply l5, the ply will nevertheless remain securely bound to the top until the clamping pressure of the pivoted clamps 3D is released.

The height of the handle 32 is preferably such that as the camming action of the clamp 30 is exerted to draw the top ifi downwardly, the inner surface of the top will engage the upper end of the handle so that the pressure thereon will tend to bind the clamp and hold it in position.

In addition, the camming wings at the ends of the respective clamps will, in the final positions of adjustment thereof, engage the inner faces of the depending Wall portions of the top, further binding the parts against displacement or vibration.

The downward bias of the clamps upon the top not only securely holds the binding strip but further tends to cause the bead portions thereof to fulcrum on the upper margin of the rim, thereby pressing the free terminal margins of the bead more securely against the cover ply with which the top is surfaced.

We claim:

1. The combination with a piece of furniture having an anchor mounting means adjacent its top, of a top member for said furniture having side and end wall portions provided with Yinwardly projecting iianges, a series of anchor clamps mutually spaced about the periphery of the furniture and respectively pivotally connected with said means, each of said clamps com-V prising an oscillatory plate having a pintle connecting it with said means and movable between a rst position in which said plate clears adjacent portions of said flange, and a second position in which said plate overlies an adjacent portion of said ange, the said plate having a camming surface adapted in the course of its oscillatory movement between the said first and second positions to exert a downward pressure on the said flange, said mounting means being provided with top support means supporting said nange in spaced relation to said anchorage means.

2. rIhe device cf claim l in which said top member is provided with a cover ply, said top support means comprising an upstanding rim and in further combination with a bezel rim having a shoulder engaging the rim, an edge fulcrumed about said shoulder and engaging the cover ply and an inwardly extending ange upon which the said flanges of the top are supported to be normally clear of said anchorage means, the camming pressure aforesaid urging said flanges resiliently toward the anchorage means and levering the bezel rim into engagement with the cover ply.

3. A furniture construction comprising a base plate, a top having depending side and end walls, the said walls having inwardly turned flanges, and clamping devices spaced about the base plate in proximity to the positions of said flanges, the said devices comprising cams each provided with a mounting pintle connected with the base Vplate and upon which the respective cams are oscillatable to and from clamping engagement with adjacent flanges of said walls, said pintles extending upwardly from the base plate and the respective cams comprising horizontally oscillatable plates each provided with at least one beveled corner normally engaged over said nange and movable about the pintle to n. position of disengagement therefrom.

4. A furniture construction comprising the combination with a base plate having an upstanding rim about its perimeter, of a removable top fitting within the rim and having inwardly turned nanges, supports for said flanges carried by said rim, and latching cams pivotally mounted on said plate and releasably engaging the said flanges under camming pressure sufficient to bias said supports, said top having the form of an inverted pan with depending side and end n walls on the lower margin of which said anges are disposed in spaced relation to said top, each of the said cams comprising a plate pivotally movable between a rst position in which it is free of the adjacent ange and a second pOsition in which it laps the adjacent flange, the said plate having a beveled portion for riding on to said ange in movement toward the second position.

5. A furniture construction comprising the combination with a base plate having an upstanding rim about its perimeter, of a removable top tting within the rim and having inwardly turned anges, supports for said flanges carried by said rim, and latehing cams pivotally mounted on said plate and releasably engaging the said anges under cammng pressure sulcient to bias said supports, said top having the form of an inverted pan with depending side and end walls on the lower margin of which said flanges are disposed in spaced relation to said top, each of the said cams comprising a plate pivotally movable between a irst position in which it is free of the adjacent flange and a second position in which it laps the adjacent flange, the said LE ROY W. PASEWALK. JOHN F. REIMER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,273,207 Wege July 23, 1918 1,705,152 Card Mar. 12, 1929 1,795,138 Ohnstrand et al. Mar.3, 1931 1,815,167 Soper July 21, 1931 1,817,453 Hunter Aug. 4, 1931 1,822,032 Hunter Sept. 8, 1931 1,873,932 Hunter Aug. 23, 1932 2,228,504 Braund Jan. 14, 1941 2,237,840 Nelson et al Apr. 8, 1941 2,263,204 Clark Nov. 18, 1941 2,454,695 Hammer Nov. 23, 1948 2,461,823 Jones Feb.l 15, 1949 

